According to biologists, giant panda blood contains a unique antibiotic compound that may prove a useful tool in the fight against human illness. And even more promising? Dragon blood. One drop and you are CURED. Ooooooor explode into flames, I always get dragon blood and unicorn tears confused.

The compound, cathelicidin-AM, kills bacteria and fungi in the pandas' bloodstream and biologists suspect it may have the potential to be used in a wide range of human medicine -- particular in treating drug-resistant superbugs.

The fact that the antibiotic has genetic origins is important as it is this which lessens the likelihood of just kicking the problem of drug resistance further down the road: "Gene-encoded antimicrobial peptides play an important role in innate immunity against noxious microorganisms. They cause much less drug resistance of microbes than conventional antibiotics."

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? "Probably not." We just inject ourselves with every kind of animal blood AND BECOME RESISTANT TO EVERYTHING. "Please don't tell me you're serious." What could go wrong? *injecting snake blood* Oh yeah, I can already feel it working. *talking to snake in Parseltongue* "Whoa -- what did you tell it?" I told him he reminds me of a friend's penis.

♫ Thanks to Billy C, who's not my lover, he's just a guy who says that I am the dumb ♫

There are View Comments.

_zBlake

This study was published in Jan 2012. How is this 'news'? Plus cathelicidins are found in many species of mammal, fish, bird, reptile and have been looked into as alternative antibiotics for quite some time. The publishers/authors have done a great job of spinning this though I must say.